Nevada County picayune., 1887-01-26
HOUSE CLEANING DAYS.
BY AMY RANDOLPH.

and Cora. If any one had sat down to examine the family gen eaiogical tree, he might possibly have studied It out. There ccr- tainly existed some tie of consan. guinity, for Classy and Cora mad always lived under the shadow of the old gcntleman's roof, mended his stockings, put up with his freaks of temper, and cooked his meals. just exactly as he liked them. Their father had been q sea captain, who vanished out of the world as mysteriously as sea captains often do, sailing away one golden autumn day and re. turning no more; and Cousin GrimgO0ke's wife had charitably taken the two orphaned girls to I've with her. And when Mrs. Grim300ke. too, sailed into the great ocean of the unknown, Classy and Cora remained as if they be- logged there. and succeeded to all her houstwit'ely cares and duties with willing heart.
 Mr. Grimgooke was a very poor man; at least he said he was; and it was really a difficult thing to screw money out of him for the variouslv household expenses ot the establishment. CaSsl, being skilled with the needle, soon learned the dress making trade, and clothed herself with the re- suits of her own work. And Cora taught the nearest district school house, and earned fourteen month, half of which she relig- iously paid into the housekeeping coffer.
 Save all you can, girls. Save all you cau." said Mir. Grimgookc. dolorously, ''l'm poor man my self; and when I'm dead and de gently buried, there won't be much left for you to live on.n
 "Yes, Cousin Grimgooke," said Gacv,. nrJ E,rn ,,,n,l,l,,
 "But you aim't so careful as you might be-" persisted Mir. Grim gooke. Classy ought'n to be wearing that good gown around the house of d morning. And Cora threw very good little pitcher out of the window yesterday"
 "Eut, Cousin Grimgooke." pleaded Cas> ''the dress is dyed, and has been turned twiccr
 And that pitcher is cracked from top to bottom," said Cora. Ut won't hold water"
 "Putty 1t mp, then, putty 1t up,' said MT. Giimgooke, with earnest ness. II do like to see economy in little things. Now there's the carpets on the floors. Last year you wore lem out-beating them with d stick. Now don't take 'em  up this veal at al.'
 "But what are you to do, Cousin Grimgooke, at house cleaning time?" said Cora.
 "Why, clean, of courSe," sad MT. Grimgooke. And sweep. And dust, But you needn't thrash ev. everything to pieces, need youW
 But every one takes up their carpets when they clean house" urged Cassy.
 That's a woman all overw said Mir Grimgooke. Because other women riakes fools of themselves, is it necessary that you should do sogr
 Neither Classy or Cora were pre- pared to answer this question at d moments notice, so they wisely held their peace, and Mir. Grim goobe triumphantly fell to reading the newspapers.
 Nevertheless the Grimgooke girls were not exempt from the weaknesses of the feminine soul, so, when one day the old man an. n0nuced that he was going to Shreveport, tEe nearest town, to be absent for couple of days, Classy and Cora exchanged glances bchind his pepper and-sa clothed back. And one glauce-the soft, shy one of Cora-asked as plain as words could do: "Shall we clean housc" While Cassy's electric blue orhs flashed back an unms, takable, We shall clean house."
 And no sooner was Mir. Grim goolie out of sight, than Cassy ran to stir up the whitewash pail, and tO slalip new lumOs of lime. while